The Belgariad, Vol. 1 (Books 1-3): Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit [Paperback]

David Eddings (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 27, 2002

Millions of readers have discovered the magic of David Eddings’ New York Times bestselling series The Belgariad. Now the first three books in this monumental epic appear in a single volume. Here, long-time fans can rediscover the wonder—and the uninitiated can embark upon a thrilling new journey of fantasy and adventure.

It all begins with the theft of the Orb that for so long protected the West from an evil god. As long as the Orb was at Riva, the prophecy went, its people would be safe from this corrupting power. Garion, a simple farm boy, is familiar with the legend of the Orb, but skeptical in matters of magic. Until, through a twist of fate, he learns not only that the story of the Orb is true, but that he must set out on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger to help recover it. For Garion is a child of destiny, and fate itself is leading him far from his home, sweeping him irrevocably toward a distant tower—and a cataclysmic confrontation with a master of the darkest magic.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Fabulous . . . Eddings has a marvelous storyteller style . . . exceedingly well portrayed and complex people. . . . More! More! More!”
–ANNE MCCAFFREY

From the Inside Flap

Millions of readers have discovered the magic of David Eddings? New York Times bestselling series The Belgariad. Now the first three books in this monumental epic appear in a single volume. Here, long-time fans can rediscover the wonder?and the uninitiated can embark upon a thrilling new journey of fantasy and adventure.

It all begins with the theft of the Orb that for so long protected the West from an evil god. As long as the Orb was at Riva, the prophecy went, its people would be safe from this corrupting power. Garion, a simple farm boy, is familiar with the legend of the Orb, but skeptical in matters of magic. Until, through a twist of fate, he learns not only that the story of the Orb is true, but that he must set out on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger to help recover it. For Garion is a child of destiny, and fate itself is leading him far from his home, sweeping him irrevocably toward a distant tower?and a cataclysmic confrontation with a master of the darkest magic.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (August 27, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345456327
• ISBN-13: 978-0345456328
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (208 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,766 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Eddings was born in Washington State in 1931 and grew up near Seattle. He graduated from the University of Washington and went on to serve in the US Army. Subsequently, he worked as a buyer for the Boeing Aircraft Company and taught college-level English. His career as a fantasy writer, with his wife Leigh, has been spectacular.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#34 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#64 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#34 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#64 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

151 of 154 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Story grows as the hero does February 2, 2004

By newyork2dallas

Format:Paperback

The Belgariad is Eddings' first and best fantasy series. First published in the mid-1980s, the Belgariad differed from other fantasy fiction because: (1) it was not based on the elf-dwarf-human creature structure like Lord of the Rings and its various copycats (Terry Brooks, Weis/Hickman, Dennis McKeirnan, etc.); (2) it had mature and defined political systems (including a country that popularly elected its king), international relations and ethnic patterns, unlike even the more mature fantasy offerings of Donaldson (Thomas Covenant) and LeGuin (Earthsea); (3) it had a unique formulation of magic -- the will and the word; and (4) it inverted the purpose of the fantasy quest -- the EVIL ONE sleeps and the heroes seek to prevent his awakening BEFORE he begins his attempt to take over the world (again).

Eddings narrative is sly and occasionally slick -- the characters balance seriousness with humor and the dialogue is often very funny. His world is believable because the political and religious interactions make sense. The best feature of the Belgariad is its relative tonal change -- from reflecting the innocent wide-eyed view of young Garion (the hero, farmboy, of course) in Pawn of Prophecy, the next two books become darker and more serious as Garion begins to realize who he is and what is at stake, and he comes to grips with who his "Aunt Pol" and his "Grandfather" really are.

Eddings' books are also something of a quest story with a travelogue in the world he created -- in the Belgariad he leaves no country untouched in the western continent; in the Mallorean the characters go to every major district in "boundless Mallorea" and his other series (Tamuli, Elenium) are similar.

If they sound repetitive, that's because they are -- Eddings repeats the same formula with some variations in his other series and the various wisecracking and irreverent humor that is refreshing in the first Eddings series you read becomes tiresome and predictable thereafter.

That said, the Belgariad is the first, the most original and probably the best farmboy-saves-the-world quest of the genre.

269 of 288 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Why is it the best? April 16, 2004

By Steven Butterfield

Format:Paperback

I'll tell you why David Eddings' Belgariad and Malloreon series are among the best in fantasy. THEY END. Both series are confined to five books: they have distinct beginnings, expansive middles, and satisfying conclusions. This may sound like an odd thing to praise, but anybody who has waded into (and become hopelessly mired in) Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" or Terry Goodkind's "Wizards First Rule" series will know exactly what I'm talking about. Tolkien didn't make us slog through - and this is quite literal, in Jordan's case - tens of thousands of pages of pointless verbosity before bringing his opus to a rousing crescendo, and Eddings...though certainly no master like Tolkien...gives us the same courtesy.
Aside from this most appreciated of gifts, Eddings is also an imaginative and engaging author. Terry Brooks' "Shannara" series, for example, was a barely, thinly, poorly veiled ripoff of Tolkien. Jordan's glacial repetitiveness has caused his once-promising series to run completely out of steam. Goodkind has the same problem. But Eddings keeps things fresh. He also writes some of the most engaging and multi-dimensional characters in fantasy. He writes real growth and dotes loving care on his characters: the changes they undergo through the course of the ten novels of the Belgariad and the Malloreon are believable, understandable, acceptable, rather than visceral and awkward (Terry Goodkind, take note).
All too often, fantasy is given short shrift in serious literary circles. It would do well to remember how much utter trash there is across ALL genres of fiction, not just fantasy, and to accept Eddings' for what he is: a talented and engaging writer. Give these a try.

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic February 4, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I first read this series (and its followup, The Malloreon) when I was about 8 years old. With my best friend, we devoured up to 20 scifi/fantasy books a month apiece over the next 5 or so years. Of all those, this series is one of the ones that stands out the most, and that, to this day, I still love to re-read for the 20th+ time.

David Eddings writing style has been said to be formulaic, a statement that is undeniable....his series in alternate worlds all run parallel to each other...This is indeed his downfall in the large scope of things. However, if contained within a single world, the formula is not a problem at all. Eddings is a skillful enough writer that he is able to begin with what may seem to be a sterotype- archetype is a better word- and evolve that character to have as many complexities and contradictions as any real person. Eddings rarely leaves characters one dimensional. While reading the books, you grow to love them...
I remember conversations where Id have people asking if I was speaking of a real person or a character in the series...
To this day, I still have phrases from the narrative in my vocabulary ('Don ya know ;P)

Characters aside, Eddings world is one of the best researched in Fantasy today. He has elements for every major historical civilization reflected in his world, from the Romans to the Mongols....and the corresponding sciences to go with them. One great thing to watch as the story goes by is how the different groups "invent" things that are taken straight out of our past. Aside from being a great story, this series is a treatise on human civilizations and the way we evolve as cultures....mad gods and monsters aside, that is. It is also an interesting commentary on religion.

All this other stuff aside, Its great fun as a story. The banter between the characters will have you splitting your side laughing, and nodding because so much of it is so true. The story is inventive and well laid out. The only book I ever found a bit boring was the first one, because once I had read the rest, I couldnt wait to get through it to read them again.

I highly recomend this series, along with its continuation, the Mallorean. His other series are fun, but basically a copy of these two with the names changed. Its worth it to read the prequels: "Belgarath" and "Polgara", more for the back story than because anything new really happens. For the truely fanatical, there is also the "Rivan Codex" which contains the research texts and histories....

While Eddings is not master craftsman like Tolkein, (though his worlds are in many aspects as complex) he is a solid and comfortable writer, humourous, endearing, and ultimately, in his own way, quite original.

You either Love him or hate him.